Following a very enjoyable day out at the 2017 Henley Show in September, we decided to head along to the High Wycombe and District Poultry Society Open Show. They ran a great poultry tent in Henley so we were keen to visit them in Hazlemere.
Maranda still isn’t laying after being with us for 71 days, so we didn’t have any Maran eggs to take. Ella is in her 6-month hiatus following a heavy moult and Miss Moneyhenny is a little all over the place still, laying double yolkers for fun; her shells are also not always good enough for showing, with extra calcium deposits on most eggs while she gets into the rhythm of laying.
Thankfully Princess Layer, although not laying with the regularity and quality we are accustomed to, is still going strong and Henerys II is doing exceptionally well. We were quietly confident she was going to place well in her categories.
We underwent the usual, prolonged deliberation the night before, sorting through the collected eggs, deciding which categories to enter. Following our decision, the obligatory humourous tweet followed:
The “eggs factor” #xfactor #eggsfactor pic.twitter.com/899idkt3BG
— Leighton B Chickens (@LBchickens) November 4, 2017
I got to the hall on Sunday morning and laid out the eggs on the plates. It was my first visit and I was offered a very warm welcome, as is always the case with folks in the poultry community. There was a slight delay waiting for one of the judges, but it didn’t matter as the conversation and tea flowed nicely, helped along with a slice of delicious lemon drizzle cake!
By lunchtime, all the winners had been decided and unbelievably, Henerys II has won Best in Show with a plate of her six white eggs. This was her first show, what a way to start her career in egg showing. All in all, we had a very successful show winning three of the categories we entered and placing second in the other three.
| Class | Name | Placing | Chicken |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121 | 6 large or bantam | 1st | Henerys II |
| 122 | 3 dark brown large | 2nd | Princess Layer |
| 123 | 3 any other colour large | 1st | Henerys II |
| 124 | 2 distinct colours large | 1st | Henerys II & Miss Moneyhenny |
| 125 | Single large egg | 2nd | Princess Layer |
| 132 | Large contents | 2nd | Henerys II |
We are attending the Billington Autumn Show next Sunday, and as it’s relatively close to High Wycombe, we look forward to meeting up with some of the same people we met at Hazlemere. Of course, we also hope for continued success at our last show of the year. Look out for that report next week.
Amazing! So pleased with our results in the High Wycombe and District Show. Best eggs was very unexpected! pic.twitter.com/Umer3cGNr5
— Leighton B Chickens (@LBchickens) November 5, 2017
